Dear friends:
As the week of Christmas approaches, I find myself thinking a lot about Bethlehem, the time I’ve spent there, the investment our community has made, and our dear friends and mission partners there, now surrounded by a containment wall that has turned Bethlehem into an open-air prison.
Near where Jesus was born is the historic Christmas Lutheran Church, a dynamic congregation that has stood as light and hope in that sacred spot for more than a century. In more recent years, the Israeli Occupation Forces have invaded, occupied, and even shattered some of its exquisite stained-glass windows.
These Bethlehem Christians -- who know better than most that Christmas is about God’s entrance into a messy world -- gathered the shards of shattered glass and repurposed them into beautiful angel ornaments:
